Enc.

ADVISORY BOARD ON RADIATION AND WORKER HEALTH

4676 Columbia Parkway, MS: C-46 

Cincinnati, Ohio 45226

(513) 533-6825

CHAIRMAN

James M. Melius, M.D., Dr. PH.

 Albany, New York

MEMBERS

Henry Anderson, M.D.

 Madison, Wisconsin

Josie Beach

 Kennewick, Washington 

Bradley P. Clawson

 Rexburg, Idaho

R. William Field, Ph.D. 

 Iowa City, Iowa

Michael H. Gibson

 Franklin, Ohio

Mark A. Griffon

 Salem, New Hampshire

Richard Lemen, Ph.D.

 Canton, Georgia

James E. Lockey, M.D.

 Cincinnati, Ohio

Wanda I. Munn

 Richland, Washington

John W. Poston, Sr., Ph.D.

 College Station, Texas

Robert W. Presley

 Seymour, Tennessee

David B. Richardson, Ph.D.

Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Genevieve S. Roessler, Ph.D.

 Elysian, Minnesota

Phillip Schofield

 Bosque Farm, New Mexico

Paul L. Ziemer, Ph.D.

 Lafayette, Indiana

STAFF

EXECUTIVE SECRETARY

Theodore M. Katz, MPA

 Atlanta, Georgia

COMMITTEE MANAGEMENT 

Zaida Burgos

 Atlanta, Georgia

September 14, 2011

The Honorable Kathleen Sebelius

Secretary 

Department of Health and Human Services

200 Independence Avenue, S.W.

Washington, D.C. 20201

Dear Madam Secretary:

The Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health (The Board) has evaluated 

Special Exposure Cohort (SEC) Petition 00186 concerning workers at the Y-12 

Plant in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, under the statutory requirements established 

by the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act of 

2000 (EEOICPA) and incorporated into 42 CFR Sec. 83.13. 

The Board respectfully recommends that SEC status be accorded to: 

“All employees of the Department of Energy, its predecessor 

agencies, and their contractors and subcontractors who worked at 

the Y-12 facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, during the period from 

January 1, 1948 through December 31, 1957, for a number of work 

days aggregating at least 250 work days, occurring either solely 

under this employment or in combination with work days within the 

parameters established for one or more other classes of employees 

included in the Special Exposure Cohort." 

This recommendation is based on the following factors:

• Individuals working at the Y-12 facility during the time period in question 

worked on the production of materials for nuclear weapons. 

• The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) 

review of available monitoring data, as well as available process and 

source term information for various production activities at the Y-12 

facility found that NIOSH lacked adequate information necessary to 

complete individual dose reconstructions with sufficient accuracy for 

internal radiological exposures due to thorium and other radionucides 

during the time period in question. The Board concurs with this 

determination.

• NIOSH determined that health may have been endangered for these Y12 Plant employees during the time period in question. The Board also 

concurs with this determination.
The Secretary September 14, 2011

Based on these considerations and the discussion at the August 23-25, 2011 Board meeting 

held in Richland, Washington, the Board recommends that this class be added to the SEC.

Enclosed is the documentation from the Board meeting(s) where this SEC class was 

discussed. The documentation includes transcripts of the deliberations, copies of the petition, 

the NIOSH review thereof, and related materials. If any of these items are unavailable at this 

time, they will follow shortly. 

 Sincerely,

 [Signature on file]

James M. Melius, M.D., Dr. PH

 Chairman, ABRWH

Enclosure